Interest in edible coatings applications has progressively developed towards improving the quality and shelf life of climacteric fruits. This study aimed to investigate the influence of pre-harvest treatments (chitosan, chitosan nanoparticle, and CaCl₂) on the physicochemical and quality attributes of Barhi date palm fruits during storage periods. Different pre-harvest treatments (control, chitosan 1, 2, and 3 g/L, CaCl₂ 1, 2, and 3 g/L, nano-chitosan 1, 2, and 3 cm³ /L) were applied. The results showed that all treatments were effective for enhancing the fruit quality, with increasing total soluble solids and total sugars, decreasing weight loss, discarded total acidity, and total soluble tannins compared to the control treatment. Additionally, the results revealed that the highest percentage of TSS was obtained in control fruits (35.78%). Meanwhile, the lowest mean values were obtained from chitosan nanoparticle at 3 cm³/L (33.91%). Treatments with chitosan nanoparticle at 3 cm³/L and CaCl₂ at 3 g/L gave the statistically highest values of total tannins (0.225 and 0.220, respectively). The optimal treatment involved spraying the fruit with 3 cm³/L of nano-chitosan or 3 g/L of CaCl₂ to increase the fruit quality and the shelf life of Barhi dates. The results indicated that weight loss was negatively linked with the moisture content and firmness, while decay had a strong positive relationship with the Rutab index and a negative correlation with the moisture content. Furthermore, the Rutab index was negatively associated with the total tannins and total chlorophyll.

‘Barhi’ dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are highly prized and widely consumed at the khalal stage, but they are only available for a short time, which highlights the importance of extending their storage life. This study examined the effectiveness of edible coatings in delaying ripening and maintaining fruit quality during cold storage (2 °C). The treatments tested were gelatin alone or gelatin combined with chitosan, Aloe vera gel (AVG), or gum arabic, and applied in a layer-by-layer (LbL) approach. A fifth treatment consisting of deionized water was used as a reference untreated control. The fruit parameters measured included weight loss, decay, moisture content, ripening (rutab transformation), firmness, color (lightness and hue angle), total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), TSS/TA ratio, total sugars, total polyphenols, and enzymatic activity. Results indicated that the LbL edible coating was more effective in preserving postharvest quality. Regarding weight loss and decay rate, the results showed that the control treatment consistently had 1.5–5-fold higher deterioration indicators than the coated fruits. Among the tested treatments, the gum arabic and gelatin coating was the most effective compared to the untreated control, reducing weight loss by over 40%, lowering decay by approximately 80%, and maintaining significantly higher moisture content throughout storage. Concerning carotenoid levels, the untreated fruits exhibited approximately 1.2–1.4-fold higher carotenoid content than the coated fruits. Fruits treated with gum arabic and gelatin exhibited the best preservation effect Sby limiting TSS increase and maintaining higher TA compared with the control. This treatment best maintained antioxidant capacity and phenolic content while significantly suppressing the activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase. Overall, the LbL coating strategy successfully maintained the quality of ’Barhi’ dates by mitigating oxidative and enzymatic degradation throughout storage. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis demonstrated that treatments gum arabic and gelatin exhibited superior effectiveness in extending the date storage life in terms of physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity, followed by chitosan and gelatin, and Aloe vera and gelatin, compared to the control fruits over a 60-day storage period.

The study was carried out to examine the sustainable management of irrigation water for olive cultivation in sandy soils with varying levels of water salinity at a farm situated in the Regwa region of EL-Beheira Governorate, Egypt, which is noted for its arid climate, aiming to improve the effective utilization of sustainable ecosystems while optimizing economic returns for agricultural producers. Field experiments were implemented over two successive growing seasons, specifically 2022–2023 and 2023–2024, employing seven distinct irrigation methodologies: micro-sprinklers, T-tape GR drippers, Root Zone Watering System (RZWS), inline drippers, inline PC drippers, mist sprayers, and bubblers. In the 2022–2023 season, the inline dripper treatment yielded the highest output of 13.78 ton ha ⁻¹ , followed by the inline PC dripper and micro-sprinkler systems, which yielded 13.20 ton ha ⁻¹ and 12.45 ton ha ⁻¹ , respectively. In contrast, the mist sprayer treatment produced the lowest yield at 7.61 ton ha ⁻¹ . The oil content in olive fruits reached optimal levels under bubbler and inline PC dripper treatments in the second growing season at 40.0% and 39.87%, respectively. Conversely, the minimum oil content was recorded under micro-sprinkler and inline dripper treatments in the first growing season, yielding 34.31% and 34.36%, respectively. During the first growing season, the inline dripper exhibited irrigation water productivities (IWPs) of 31.60 kg m ⁻³ , followed by the inline PC dripper with an IWP of 30.28 kg m ⁻³ . In stark contrast, the mist sprayer reported the lowest IWPs of 0.74 kg m ⁻³ in the second growing season. The distribution patterns of soil moisture and salinity within the root zone were analyzed utilizing Surfer software. The most significant net farm income (NFI) was attained under the inline PC dripper treatment, with an NFI of 38,664.35 US$ y ⁻¹ , succeeded by the inline dripper and micro-sprinkler treatments with NFIs of 36,010.95 and 30,265.94 US$ y ⁻¹ , respectively; the mist sprayer demonstrated the lowest NFI at 17,186.49 US$ y ⁻¹ .